Yabelo (woreda) - Demographics

Demographics

The 2007 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 102,165, of whom 51,418 were men and 50,747 were women; 17,497 or 17.13% of its population were urban dwellers. The majority of the inhabitants said they practiced traditional beliefs, with 59.8% of the population reporting they observed these beliefs, while 14.73% of the population were Protestant, 14.52% were Muslim, 8.28% practiced Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity and 1.79% were Catholic.

Based on figures published by the Central Statistical Agency in 2005, this woreda has an estimated total population of 82,443, of whom 41,132 are men and 41,311 are women; 18,478 or 22.41% of its population are urban dwellers, which is greater than the Zone average of 11.6%. With an estimated area of 5,523.31 square kilometers, Yabelo has an estimated population density of 14.9 people per square kilometer, which is less than the Zone average of 21.1.

The 1994 national census reported a total population for this woreda of 56,878, of whom 28,444 were men and 28,434 women; 10,322 or 18.15% of its population were urban dwellers at the time. The four largest ethnic groups reported in Yabelo were the Oromo (86.92%), the Burji (6.14%), the Amhara (3.71%), and the Konso (1.6%); all other ethnic groups made up 0.86% of the population. Oromiffa was spoken as a first language by 92.79%, 4.27% spoke Amharic, and 1.12% spoke Burji; the remaining 1.85% spoke all other primary languages reported. The majority of the inhabitants practiced traditional beliefs, with 47.06% of the population reporting answers that fell under that category, while 14.39% professed Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity, 9.64% of the population were Muslim, 6.2% were Protestant, and 1.05% were Catholic.